Canine distemper outbreak confirmed in Oregon gray foxes

An outbreak of canine distemper has been confirmed in southern Oregon foxes, and dog owners are being warned to vaccinate their pets against the highly contagious and often fatal virus.

The virus was confirmed in two gray foxes found dead in Ashland and one in Medford, state wildlife officials said. The Oregon State University Diagnostics Lab was conducting tests on two additional carcasses, the Department of Fish and Wildlife said this week.

Wildlife biologists also have received more than a dozen reports of gray foxes walking in circles and foaming at the mouth — signs of distemper.

“We’ve suspected distemper, and it’s been confirmed,” wildlife biologist Mark Vargas told the Mail Tribune newspaper. “Is it a pandemic? No. As of now? An outbreak.”

Distemper increases in urban areas of the Northwest once city populations of raccoons, skunks and other animals surge. Outbreaks in the early 1990s and mid-2000s left hundreds of raccoons dead in southern Oregon.

Amid a 2005-06 outbreak, wildlife officials banned the trapping and releasing of raccoons in the wild, and the outbreak eventually quelled.

Vargas, however, said it was unproven that such a ban alone ended the outbreak.

Animals infected with the virus often have runny noses and eyes; appear listless and disoriented; and have little interest in food and water.

Vargas said residents should avoid touching any wild animals, especially those suspected of carrying a disease, and make sure their dogs are vaccinated against the virus.

“It’s a wildlife issue, but it’s also a public health issue in terms of pets,” Vargas said.